Apple Patent Describes Smart Cover With Built-in LEDs

Apple’s iPad Smart Cover has always been a pretty minimalistic and simple affair. It’s essentially a cover with magnets that helps protect your iPad’s screen, turns it on/off when open/closed. That’s pretty much all it does so if you were after something simple and clean, the Smart Cover could be what you’re after.

However it seems that in a patent filed by Apple and discovered by Apple Insider, it looks like Apple could have plans to make the Smart Cover, well, even more smarter. According to the patent, it talks about a device similar to the Smart Cover, except that it will incorporate LEDs or electroluminescent panels.

What these LEDs or panels will do is help to convey more information to the user, so for example it could help display notifications when you receive them. This allows the user to know that they might have emails or messages waiting them without having to open the iPad to check. The patent even goes as far as suggesting that there could be translucent panels so that the user can just look at the iPad.

The patent also covers the possibility that the cover could act as a wireless charging, so by plugging it into the iPad’s port, users will be able to place the tablet onto a wireless charging mat and charge their iPad, which sounds like a pretty good idea. It’s an intriguing idea but as is the case with most patents, it’s hard to tell if Apple will ever make it a reality, but what do you guys think?